I hope that you watch this, Scott Neeson, Alan Lemon and James Mc Cabe and all others in Cambodia running ‘orphanages’ - filled with kids who have mums, dads, uncles, aunts, grandparents and communities to take care of them.
If there were any rule of law in Cambodia many of you would hauled before a court and charged with the illegal removal of children from their families. Show us the contracts you have with the parents of the kids you have in your care. You won’t. And nor is there anyone (and certainly not human rights groups) who will ask you to make such contracts public.
Cambodian families deserve better!
“Tara Winkler speaks out against the spread of orphanages in developing countries, caused by the good intentions of foreign donors, and of harm that comes to children when they are separated from family and left to grow up in institutions.
Tara is the Managing Director of the Cambodian Children’s Trust (CCT) which she established with Jedtha Pon in 2007 in order to rescue fourteen children from a corrupt and abusive orphanage. She has led CCT through a number of significant organisational changes, including the closure of the initial CCT orphanage in favour of a family-based care model to empower Cambodian families to escape poverty, assist institutionalised children return to families, and help orphanages transform to a family-based care model. Her first book, ‘How (NOT) to Start an Orphanage – by a woman who did’ was published in April 2016.”
If Scott Neeson has taken hundreds of children from their families, he owes a debt to the children and their families, that he never would be able to repay. Is he a man completely devoid of moral character or fiber? He should be imprisoned and they should throw away the key! He will have created a new generation, lost to Cambodian society and unable to function in Cambodian society, unable to raise a normal family themselves. HIS debt to Cambodia can never be corrected, never be repaid. Shame on him, his cronies, and staff for perpetrating this autrocity on these innocent children.
ReplyDeleteIt is not just Scott Neeson and CCF that has been doing this. There are dozens of NGOs removing kids from their families with good or bad intentions. In the case if Christians, they do so with the blessing of Helen Sworn and the NGO Chab Dai and with the covert blessing of LICADHO - a human rights organisation whose concept of human rights does not include the right of children to remain with their families - except under the most drastic of circumstances. Yes, it is great, as Tara says, that the government is talking about closing these sham 'orphanages' down but I have been hearing this for years and I see little sign that it is happening.
DeletePerhaps Neeson's lack of education is why he can't get this message through his thick f@$$&%0/ head?
ReplyDeletePerhaps Neeson's lack of education is the reason that he can't get this message through his thick scull. Shame on his family for never getting HIM an education!
ReplyDeleteJames, in this instance it appears you might not have done your homework carefully. How do you account for Tara's close relationship with an organisation that has in the past (and still is) been a huge financial and moral supporter of Somaly Mam. Please take a look at her accounts very carefully before supporting what she does and her organisation further.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I need to do homework in relation to Tara Winkler’s TED talk? It speaks for itself. She is reiterating what extensive research has been revealing for decades – that institutional care is bad for children. And she makes no bones of the fact that she has made mistakes. And she has learned from them. This more than can be said for the many NGOs removing kids from their families who know this is wrong and damaging but continue with the practice nonetheless because their fund-raising model depends upon it.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any evidence that CCT is in receipt of ‘tainted’ money present it here.
As for Somaly Mam, two points need to be made:
(1) For many years she had everyone fooled.
(2) When it became public knowledge that she was a fraud the media, human rights groups and fellow NGOs turned a blind eye to Somaly Mam’s lies. They were all complicit, through their silence, is enabling her to continue with her scam. And then she was exposed and shunned. Today there are many NGOs illegally removing children from their families and this is well known. And there are many NGOs who, whilst technically not breaking the law, are nonetheless exploiting the poverty and powerlessness of Cambodian families to remove children; place them in institutional care. And, despite what Tara Winkler says about the Cambodian government’s opposition to this I di not see much evidence that this practice is being brought to an end by the government. I have been hearing about the closure of fake orphanages for years but the efforts to do so to date have been token only.
Sorry James but where do you see any suggestion of "tainted money" Merely the suggestion that as with Somaly Mam there might be more to Tara Winkler than meets the eye and the further suggestion that maybe you should look a little closer before possibly making a fool of yourself by championing her cause. Nobody with the possible exception of operators of fake orphanages support them but at the end of the day somebody need to take care of "at risk" children. I believe even your mates at Friends International have several hundred live in kids
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous 4.11
ReplyDeleteIf there is more to Tara Winkler than meets the eye, come out and tell us what it is.
I am not specifically championing the cause of Tara Winkler. I am, in you must use the word 'championing', championing the concept (far from new or original) that children are, for the most part, much better off growing up in their own families and communities. Yes, there will be exceptions but they are rare.
It is not true that only those who run 'fake orphanages' support them. There are dozens of NGOs that remove children from families that believe that children from poor families are better off growing up in institutional care than with their families. And human rights organisations, by and large, turn a blind eye to these removals - even when it is clear that they are illegal.
As for Friends, what makes you think that they are 'mates' of mine?
Ref Tara Winkler -You are the supposed investigative journalist James not me. I just suggested you live up to your self proclaimed title and investigate to reduce the chances of you making a fool of yourself (yet again)
ReplyDeleteIt is not so many posts ago that you referred to the long and happy relationship you had with Friends International, from memory it was when you were trying to get help for a child or family. Are you now disowning them and latching on to Lara Winkler as your saviour of the month.
Dear Anonymous 5.27
ReplyDeleteWhat am I supposed to be investigating regarding Tara Winkler? Give me something solid to work with and maybe I will. There are hundreds of NGOs in Cambodia and I am not in a position to 'investigate' them all.
Please do find the post where, as you say, I have had a long and happy relationship with Friends? I have known Sebastien for 20 years but the last time I had any real contact with Friends (via email) was to point the NGO in the direction of a young girl living on the street in need of care and of a family in need of care as a result of the father being blinded in an accident. Friends responded in both cases.
I am neither 'owning' nor 'disowning' Friends and I do not see Tara Winkler as any sort of saviour. She has articulated very well, in her TED talk, the problems inherent in the institutionalisation of children. Many others have done likewise this past few decades. I admire her courage in admitting to her mistakes and learning from them.
Dear Mr Ricketson
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested in APLE's 2016-2020 Plan
http://www.starsfoundation.org.uk/blog/aple-cambodia-achieving-our-ultimate-vision
APLE covers 6 areas in Vietnam, too:
http://www.exofoundation.org/project/aple-protect-cambodia
I wrote to exofoundation twice telling them that they were supporting an organization the founder of which, Thierry Darnaudet, as well as the former aple
country director in Cambodia, Hang Vibol, have been accused of being
pedophiles. While Hang Vibol rots in jail, Thierry Darnaudet continues to
roam 3rd world countries conducting his questionable business and
surrounding himself with street children.
I get a good deal of hate mail other than what appears on my blog. This from a woman by the name of Gina Ord, who works for the Cambodian Children’s Fund:
ReplyDelete“Move on with your life and stop slandering Scott and CCF.”
Gina, I hope you are reading this.
Here is what Scott had to say on 2010 about David Fletcher whom he saw as a competitor in providing assistance to poor dump families.
“There is little doubt Fletcher devotes his time here to grooming young girls. The fact is that these children can be bought. It's difficult to stop it. The British Embassy have been told about Fletcher. Many organizations have files on him, but nothing has happened. If you can get this guy sent packing you are doing a service to the children here.”
Slander, perhaps? Not if Scott had any evidence. He didn’t. He wanted Mr Fletcher out of the way and was complicit in having him arrested and jailed in the absence of anything that approximates a fair trial. Mr Fletcher remains in jail 6 years later, thanks in part to Scott.
Then there are the children he refused to return to their parents when asked; the lies he told about the parents having signed contracts that gave CCF control over them. Then there are the 360 houses supposedly ‘gifted’ to poor Cambodian families.
The list goes on. I need not repeat it. You know that Scott is a pathological liar. You know that he is exploiting poor families and you go along with it, clearly. Well, good for you Gina. And I suspect that Scott will get away with his scams for a while to come; just as Somaly Mam did. There will be a time of reckoning, however. It will probably be when CCF kids, now adults and no longer of value for money-raising purposes and have been kicked out with no support, lose their fear of retribution and go public with their experiences within CCF.
Enjoy the gravy train whilst it lasts, Gina.
The fact that Gina and other employees of CCF can support taking children from their families starts and ends with the fact that they are getting a PAY CHECK for their involvement! Thinking human beings would not consider taking these children given the many years of research proving it does irreparable harm! Cut the bullshit Gina, you advocate for CCF because you need a paycheck!!
DeleteAnd out of interest what ever happened to Fletch the Letch. Is he still rotting in jail along with a long list of foreign pedos. You certainly took him for a ride that got him nowhere (apart from no chance of release)
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous 7.39
DeleteDavid Fletcher is still in jail. He has been granted a Supreme Court hearing but this cannot occur until Action Pour les Enfants responds to to the court - as it should have done a month or so ago. In theory we should now be able to proceed to the Supreme Court hearing without APLE. As it is, APLE's only witness, Yang Dany, has been sent to China and so in unable to testify. It may be that she has been trafficked. We simply do not know.
If she is unable to testify APLE's case against Mr Fletcher is very weak. Indeed, APLE admits to having no evidence that Mr Fletcher raped Yang Dany. This is borne out by Yang Dany herself telling me and two other journalists that she was not raped. And it is borne out further by a doctor's report stating that she remained a virgin after what were described as 'brutal rapes'. On top of this evidence there is the fact that David Fletcher was not in Cambodia at the time of the alleged rapes - a fact that is difficult to prove given that the British Embassy, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, destroyed his passport knowing that it contained evidence of his innocence.
I visit Mr Fletcher once or twice a week when in Cambodia. The fight to obtain for him a fair hearing continues.
APLE and Scott Neeson are so corrupt it is totally unfathomable to decent human beings! The facts in Fletcher's case speak for themselves! May Karma have it's way with Neeson and APLE. Two organizations cut from the same cloth.
ReplyDeleteThe facts certainly do speak for themselves. For the second time in his life and in two different countries he has found himself in jail and he will be staying there for the foreseeable future. The facts don't speak much louder than that, yes - it is a great example of Karma for Fletcher
DeleteAnonymous 5:14 I see you have great interest in the truth and in justice. You make a great member the extremely corrupt and reprehensible Team Neeson.
DeleteAccording to her LinkedIn profile, she works in FUNDRAISING! Surprise, surprise. So she encourages donors to give money so that Scott can take more children! The height of ignorance.
DeleteSo just because she works in Fundraising and writes to Ricketson about Scott Neeson automatically means she is on the CCF payroll as an employee right ? You guys really are grasping at straws these days. The Ricketson correspondence course in investigative journalism appears to be going great guns (not)
DeleteDoesn't really matter if she works or volunteers, her corruption level is the same. She obviously has no idea of the irreversible harm that she promotes and fully complicit in the mass harming of this lost generation.
DeleteTry pointing that out to anon 8.59, as he appears to be yet another ignorant keyboard warrior.
DeleteInteresting news James, what is Gina's official position with CCF, do we know
ReplyDeleteHas James McCabe stopped stealing drugs at gunpoint and reselling them? Has Alan Lemon stopped his involvement with the "take out bar" on #136? They certainly are wonderful examples to at risk children!
ReplyDeleteIs James McCabe shopping drugs to Scott Neeson? Quite a collection of employees that he has!
DeleteRickets is a cunt. Hes jealous of Scott Neeson. Fucking looser
ReplyDeleteTo Gina Ord and The Neeson Team
ReplyDeleteYou have no doubt seen the photo of Scott Neeson here holding a very young girl in not only a totally inappropriate way but in a morally reprehensible way considering he is in a position of power and authority in relation to her.
He is also by medical standards inebriated.
Gina if you are a mother or will be in the future how can you come to terms with this ?
The picture does not lie .
You raise money from donors in support of this man !
In any other country in the Western World that picture
would not only cause an outcry of rage and also an enquiry as to Scott Neeson's suitability to be involved with vulnerable children .
I would very much like to hear your response ?
Dear Anonymous 5.14
ReplyDeleteDo you really believe that the fact Mr Fletcher is in jail is evidence that he is guilty? Does this same principle apply to the many Cambodians who have been given jail sentences without due legal process? Are the CNRP opposition politicians guilty simply because they happen to be in jail?
You know that Mr Fletcher has not received a trial at which he was present and able to defend himself. This is OK by you, isn't it? I doubt that you would hold this position if it was you sent to jail without a trial. No, I imagine under such circumstances you would probably welcome someone advocating on your behalf to at l4east be given a fair trial.
James spot on,
ReplyDeleteThe Neeson team are paper men , no substance , no heart no guts no brains , no honor .
Mc Cabe a convicted drug dealer and armed robber , the other's ?
By their example they highlight the caliber of what a human can sink to .
They take pleasure and spite from others misfortune ,
Alan Lemon's ex-girlfriend (reportedly , she dumped him in favor of a Nigerian man, that she has since had a baby with), owns or runs a 'take out' bar on #136. Several CCF employees were frequent visitors. Yes, quite interesting role models for the children!
DeleteCambodia really does things in reverse to a civilized nation. Neeson, who should be in prison for his corrupt actions, creates false information (and probably makes monetary payoffs)in a kangaroo court to imprison David Fletcher, for a crime for which facts have shown him to be innocent.
ReplyDeleteTeam Neeson has little regard for facts..either the facts of the serious harm that raising children in institutional care or the facts of David Fletchers innocence. They would much rather spend their time attempting to shoot the messenger and deceiving well intentioned donors out of their money. They have no conscience either for the children or for the incarceration of a man shown to be innocent. A rather pathetic group me thinks!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if the rumour going around the traps is true? That Jim McCabe is selling his services to anyone who wants to utilize his police and government connections to solve problems? I hear big bucks are involved.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer to this question. I have heard it also on the grapevine. If true, there is not anything necessarily wrong with this - unless it conflicts with Mc Cabe's duties as head of the Child Protection Unit.
DeleteI disagree, James. With respect. The idea that a convicted criminal is acting as a facilitator for businesses that want to do business with the corrupt Cambodian government worries me a lot. Was Pieter Ceulen one of his 'clients'? It sure as hell looks like it to me.
DeleteThere are lots of foreigners here doing what Mc Cabe does. He is innocent until proven guilty. His criminal record is not relevant here.
DeleteYou speak with forked tongue, Rickets. Your aim here is to defame Mc Cabe and Neeson and the men and women at CCF doing the kind of good work you would never do. You are a cunt. Simple as that. If someone does to you what was done to Kem Ley (another complaing cunt) it would be a servise to everyone. VCrawl back where you came from looser
DeleteI'm Gina Ord and just now reading these comments. I don't work for CCF and never have. In the past I worked on one small fundraising project for CCF for less than 6 months. A few months ago James Ricketson contacted me via Facebook and sent me dozens of emails regarding Scott Neeson who I have only met on two occasions and barely know. The emails were hateful and slanderous. I sent James a one sentence reply to never contact me again and to stop slandering Scott and CCF; I then blocked James from my FB account. Why he's written about me is a complete surprise as I am not involved in CCF other than the one fundraiser two years ago.
ReplyDelete